Assassins of suburbia

Girl of 3 survives the slaughter as three shot dead at semi

THREE men who died in a hitman-style bloodbath in a suburban town are thought to have been gunned down in a drugs row over just £600.

A friend of one of the victims, Matthew Cowell, 17, told last night how the teenager feared for his life because he owed money to Asian drug dealers.

Detectives have issued an appeal after witnesses described seeing two young Asian men fleeing the murder scene in a small red car.

The friend – who was too scared to be named – said Matthew had told him: “If I do not get a gun soon, that bloke is going to shoot me.”

Last night, as more details of the slaughter emerged, police were still caring for a three-year-old girl, believed to be called Angel, who was discovered at the scene unharmed.

They confirmed that the toddler may have witnessed the triple killings of Keith, 52, and “Matty” Cowell. The third victim has not yet been named, but is believed to have been Keith’s brother, aged 33.

All three were reported to have been shot, assassination-style, in the head. But police also talked of a “hail of bullets”, probably fired from one gun.

Their bodies were found just after 9.45pm on Tuesday in separate rooms in the three-bedroom semi-detached house in Plaw Hatch Close, in the smart commuter town of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire – about 30 miles from London.

Two women were also found with serious injuries. One is Matthew’s 23-year-old girlfriend Claire, the other a woman aged 54.

Police would not discuss their condition last night, but said that one had suffered gunshot wounds and the other had injuries sustained in an assault.

It is not known how three-year-old Angel escaped the carnage.

The killers also shot dead the family’s pit-bull terrier.

As fear spread through the community, Chief Superintendent Al Thomas, area commander for East Hertfordshire, urged local people not to panic. “This was a targeted incident,” he said. “It was not a random attack.”

Chief Constable Frank Whiteley also confirmed that the gunmen and the victims were probably known to each other.

Witnesses have described seeing two Asian men, in their late teens or early 20s, fleeing the scene in a red car, heading for the nearby M11 motorway.

A triple murder hunt was launched by Hertfordshire Major Crime Team.

Yesterday a close friend of Matthew’s, Blaine Hamilton, said he had seen the family hours before the murders. Of his friend, he said: “He was a lovely bloke. He was 17 years old. He didn’t deserve this.”

Another family member added: “Blaine and his girlfriend had gone to the house to help sort out a broken

radiator. The family were in good spirits and there was certainly no sign that they were worried about anything.

“Blaine and his girlfriend were meant to stay the night but decided to go to the cinema instead – thank God.”

His mother, Nicole, 46, may have missed the massacre by minutes because she had just left home for a night shift

as a car hire controller at Stansted Airport.

Her brother Roger Spellane, 55, a kitchen fitter from Wood Green in north London said: “She starts works at 10pm and so she left the house at around 9.30pm.

“She was contacted at work about the shooting, but she did not find out Keith and Matthew were dead until 2am.”

He said she then had to face the ordeal of identifying her husband and son’s bodies at the morgue.

He added: “My sister is in a state of shock, as you can imagine. She is being looked after by her daughter Charlotte.”

Roger said his 87-year-old mother, Irene Spellane, had also been told of the deaths. Charlotte, 23, is married and believed to live near Braintree in Essex.

She worked for a local community centre and once met former prime minister Tony Blair.

Roger could think of no motives for the killings. He said: “Keith was a lovely chap.

“He was married to Nicole for 25 years and showed nothing but kindness to my family.

“Matthew had it all before him at 17. I don’t know what he did for a living. The last time I saw them all was at Charlotte’s wedding last summer.”

Roger said the older woman who was injured was Keith’s sister. He said the little girl was not Matthew’s, but came from a previous relationship of Claire’s.

Other friends yesterday described Matthew as ‘a nice lad’, who had begun to get into trouble at school. His family were originally from nearby Buntingford but had lived in the area for at least 15 years.

One home had been repossessed after a wine bar they ran had collapsed with debts.

Two years ago they moved to the £250,000 red-brick home where they were attacked. It was run by a Housing Association.

Keith Cowell’s ex-wife, Jennifer Krivitski, who lives in Enfield, said: “I only found out a couple of hours ago. It has come as a big shock. I don’t want to talk about Keith. We’ve been divorced a very long time.”

Neighbours at the Cowells’ home told of their deep sense of shock at the killings. Ethel Warwick, a 77-year-old widow, had been getting ready to go to bed when she heard the sound of a police helicopter.

She said: “The lights were beaming in through the windows, they were clearly looking for someone who was on the run.”

She said the Cowells were a big family who “kept themselves to themselves, and have never been any trouble”.

This was a targeted incident

Another neighbour said: “I have seen people coming and going from the house and the 17-year-old used to go out with his mates.”

A note left with a bouquet of flowers outside the house, said: “Keith and Matty you will always be in our hearts. We love you dearly.

“Marie and Roy Nani Nob, Denise, Rebecca, Leslie, Mick and all the family.